A month is a long time and Africa is really far away!

It’s slowly starting to hit me that I’ll be really far away for a very long time! I was talking to another nanny at the park the other day and her children (not the ones she babysits) are in high school and starting the process of college searching. I talked about how nervous I was to leave home but college has been the greatest experience of my life and I’m in love with Virginia Tech. I told her that the idea of going to another continent for a month would have never crossed my mind before I went to college. I would have never done something that adventurous. But college has helped me grow so much, I’m now always up for something new and exciting! I didn’t realize that until I started talking to the nanny about college. It has opened so many doors for me!

I started taking my Typhoid pills this week. There are 4 pills and I take one on Day 1, Day 3, Day 5 and Day 7. This protects me from Typhoid for 3 years. Apparently there is a shot form, but my doctor gave me the pill form.

Good news! I heard back from the Girl Guides of Malawi! “Thanks for your interesting mail. We love to read such letters. I will respond as soon as I discuss this good news with the International Commissioner this afternoon.” That was from the administrative secretary on June 9th and I still haven’t heard anything after that. But I think Malawi time is much slower, so I’m trying to be patient!

I’ve added my mom to be an author for this blog! She is just as excited as I am about my trip. She’s been really helpful getting me ready to go! I couldn’t do it without her. She has probably talked to just as many, if not more people about my trip. She has some funny stories and advice to pass along I thought she could blog too! I’ll have to teach her how to navigate through the site and learn how to publish a post…wish me luck its not easy teaching her how to use technology!

The converter/adapter turned out to be super confusing. We assigned that job to my dad because my mom and I could not figure it out. My Apple computer power cord comes with a converter, so it doesn’t need anything to convert the watts. The computer just needs an adapter for the pronges to fit in a British outlet. However my camcorder and camera will need a converter and adapter. I think we finally figured out what we needed to buy. I’ve heard horror stories of computers “blowing up” but my dad said that I should just make someone else be the first one to do it-so I’ll know what not to do! Haha

Last Tuesday night I went over to a close family friends of ours and we visited and picked up some donation supplies they were nice enough to offer! One of their daughters will be in Australia this summer, and another daughter is in Germany until July. So on July 12th I’m going to take a picture of me in Africa, the daughters are going to take pictures of themselves in Germany and Australia, and our parents are going to take pictures of themselves in North America. We have 4 continents covered on the same day! How cool is that! Anyone know someone that will be in South America, Asia or Antarctica on July 12?

Krista said she won’t stop stressing until she is buckled in her seat belt taking off from Dulles. I feel the same way! There are 100 things going through my head and I’m constantly brainstorming and adding to my to-do-list. Even though Dr.Kelly double checked to make sure our names are spelled correctly, the confirmation from Ethiopian Airlines came back with my name spelled “Alexander” instead of “Alexandra”. Dr. Kelly said this happened to another girl and they will make the correction in the computer but not reissue an e-ticket. This could be a nightmare if things don’t get straightened out before hand! If it's not one thing, its always something else to stress about!

My mom showed me this card that randomly came in the mail one day this week. It said “ Of all the forces that make for a better world, none is so powerful as hope. With hope, one can think, one can work, one can dream. If you have hope, you have everything.” I thought it was just perfect timing after I had talked to Jean and she said we will be bringing hope. I love it and I think it just fits so perfect. It’s my new theme for this trip!

I played around with my camcorder this week (Cassie was the perfect little girl to record) and I’m really happy with it. It’s small, lightweight and I’m comfortable with all the buttons. I loaded it to my computer and it was so simple! The movies sure take up a lot of space… yikes!

I’m curious to talk with the classroom teachers in Malawi to find out how much they care about their students. I have been fortunate enough to have many teachers and professors that care so much about the success of their students. I wonder if the teachers in Malawi are the same way because they understand that education is the best way out of poverty, or are they just getting by with a job and trying to support their family. I’m interested to find out more about this.

In searching for donations, my mom thought about posting on Craigslist. I thought it was worth a try! So I put together a little post a couple weeks ago:
"Needed: Donated supplies to take to Africa

Hello Northern Virginia!
I am a rising junior at Virginia Tech majoring in Communication. I am participating in a university study abroad program to the country of Malawi in Africa. We will be spending a month in Malawi working with the local government schools by helping the teachers develop projects and helping the students learn. While we are limited to two suitcases of 50 pounds each, we are trying to collect as many useful supplies as we can to bring to them. I would love to buy as many supplies as I could, but this trip is expensive enough ad I was hoping to get personal and business donations. Below is a list of supplies that our professor has suggested we bring, and other ideas we saw in videos.

Need:
Bubbles (We've heard the kids get really excited about bubbles)
Sewing supplies--needles (fairly big with large eyes) and knitting yarn (skeins)
Laminated posters of world maps and especially Africa maps
Anything that doesn't need a battery (ex: lifelong flashlights)
Red pens for the teachers
Toothbrushes (like 100, any dentists out there?)
Toothpaste
Rulers (they use the metric system)
Basic First Aid Kits (lots of band-aids)
Mathematical teaching tools
Flashcards (Math and/or English)
A-Z Alphabet posters with pictures
Pencils and eraser tops
Scissors

Would like to bring if I have room:
Soccer ball
kite
Jump Ropes
chalk
deck of cards
markers/ colored pencils (we are afraid crayons may melt)
stickers
Twister game
Any type of game that would be perfect for a large group of kids and benefit more than a couple children

While paper and those type of things are great, its a temporary supply (and its heavy too) we are trying to bring things that will last a long time.

For about 9 days, I will be teaching for 1/2 a day.....they are letting us teach anything we would like. They just want us to set a good example. If anyone has any suggestions or lessons plans perfect for the children of Malawi, I'd appreciate any suggestions!

If anyone out there has been to Malawi and knows of supplies they would need, please let me know!!!

I live in Fairfax, but work in Arlington, my mom works in Burke, my dad works in Tysons and my brother works in Reston. So if you are near any of those areas, I would be happy to arrange a pick up or we could meet half way. I know the price of gas is insane right now.

Thanks so much for your help! I know it will make a difference for the children of Malawi!"

I was surprised with so many responses! Someone donated over 30 medium size toothpaste tubes! I got an offer to donate childrens books and a soccer ball (had to refuse b/c I don’t have space) and many other suggestions. Someone suggested bringing Listerine because it kills germs in the mouth, it’s a skin antiseptic, and bug repellant. So with all of its medical uses, its worth packing! I also talked to an ESL teacher who pointed me in the right direction to find flashcards for English and math online. I was really thrilled with so much support from complete strangers!

After getting the toothpaste, I needed toothbrushes to go with it! My moms good friend is a hygienist so she hooked me up! One night my dad brought a bag full of toothbrushes she dropped off, I was thrilled! Who knew toothbrushes would make me so happy! It’s the last thing I was searching for so I feel like my supplies are complete now.

This weekend I started the daunting task of packing. I took a picture of all the supplies and donations I’m attempting to pack. Who knows what will make it and what will have to stay, but as of right now, everything fit and it was only 30 pounds!!! Most of the supplies are lightweight. When I pack my 2nd bag that includes all of my personal items that are heavier, I’m not sure how it will even out. It’s like a puzzle! I’ll need to leave about 25 pounds because Dr. Kelly is bringing supplies and needs our suitcases for space. Someone in Blacksburg donated bookbags and books!
I know... My mom and I kinda got out of hand collecting supplies. We don't have too many school supplies but Dr. Kelly says there is a store that we can buy paper and that type of stuff. She has saved money in our budget to purchase supplies. We tried to get things that I wouldn't be able to buy in Malawi.

There is a donation that didn’t make the picture. My third grade teacher was nice enough to offer some individual alphabet strips. I’m really excited about these because the children will be able to take them home instead of a poster that has to stay at school.

My family told me this weekend they are ready for me to leave for Africa. I guess they are getting sick of me. They better not be expecting gifts from Africa if they are going to tell me that. Haha just kidding!